Sterile packages for fragile articles

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed a sterile package of semi-flexible transparent plastic material adapted to enclose fragile articles with exterior compression means surrounding an intermediate portion of the package to press against and firmly hold the article in the package. A package is also disclosed having the foregoing features which serves as a functional part or casing for a fragile article, such as a urinometer, when said article is put to its ultimate use.

United States Patent [1 1 Shaw I Nov. 27, 1973 STERILE PACKAGES FOR FRAGILE ARTICLES [76] Inventor: Joseph Denman Shaw, 508 Church St., Brownsville, Pa. 15417 22 Filed: Nov. 22, 1971- 21 Appl.No.:200,979

[52] US. Cl. 73/444 [51] Int. Cl. G01n 9/12 [58] Field of Search 73/440, 441, 444, 733/445; 206/43, 46 FR, 63.2

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,460,395 8/1969 Shaw 73/440 3,175,553 3/1965 Mattson.... 73/440 3,386,289 6/1968 Norcross 73/440 3,444,991 5/1969 Raybois .1 206/46 2,555,863 6/1951 1,391,000 9/1921 3,503,497 3/1970 Riely et al 206/63.2

Primary Examiner-Herbert Goldstein Attorney Walter S. Murray [5 7] ABSTRACT There is disclosed a sterile package of semi-flexible transparent plastic material adapted to enclose fragile articles with exterior compression means surrounding an intermediate portion of the package to press against and firmly hold the article in the package. A package is also disclosed having the foregoing features which serves as a functional part or casing for a fragile article, such as a urinometer, when said article is put to its ultimate use.

5 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PAIENTEDHUVZ? I975 SHEET 10F 2 INVENTOR dasqrltfimkaw PAIENTED NOV 2 7 I973 SHEET 20F 2 IIIIAVI /7 .8 INVENTOR Joseph Denman Jlmw av" ATTY 1 STERILE PACKAGES FOR FRAGILE ARTICLES The present invention relates to improvements in packaging and in particular to packages for containing fragile articles in sterile conditions.

An object of the invention is to provide inexpensive yet reliable packages for fragile articles that are of use to the medical profession and to hospital personnel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shipping and storage package that not only contains a fragile article, such as a urinometer, in sterile condition therein but also serves as a functional part or casing for the fragile article when said article is put to its ultimate use.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a package for fragile articles, as set forth hereinbefore, a means that is adapted to releasably hold said article in place within the package.

Other and further objects of the invention will aypear as the following specification proceeds.

In the drawings wherein like reference numerals indicate identi'al parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a fragrnental, elevational view of one of the packages of this invention in an intennediate stage of manufacture, a portion being shown in section.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the package illustrated in FIG.-l.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a fragmental, elevational view of a package, parts being shown in section.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section taken on line 5-5 of- FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 illustrating the condition of the package shown in FIG. 4 when in use.

FIG. 7 is a fragmental, elevational view of a modified form of my package, parts being shown in section.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged section taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a fragmental, elevational view of another modified form of my invention, parts being broken away and shown in section.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged section taken on line l010 of FIG. 9.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings there is illustrated one form of my package in an initial state of its manufacture wherein the numeral 13 denotes an elongated, thin walled tube having a normally flattened configuration and preferrably made of a flexible plastic material such as polypropylene, or the like. The tube is open atone end 14 and closed by a lateral wall 15 at its opposed end. An elongated pipe 16 is integrally connected to the wall 15 and is in open communication with the interior of the tube 13.

A fragile article, such as a glass urinometer 17, is sterilely placed in the tube 13, it being noted with reference to FIG. 5 that the diameter of the urinometer float portion 18 is about twice the lateral, internal distance between opposed flat wall portions 19 and 20 of the tube 13 when the tube is in a normal, relaxed condition. Because of the difierence between the diameter of the urinometer float portion 18 and the internal distance between the flat wall portions 19 and 20 of the tube, the urinometer 17 is releasably held within the tube against movement because of the pressure exerted on the urinometer by the outward flexing of the tube walls.

A cover 21 is adapted to close the open end 14 of the tube 13 and preferrably has a downturned marginal flange 22 that surrounds the outer upper end portion of the tube and is permanently secured thereto by a suitable airtight sealing means. The cover has an elongated pipe 23 integral therewith, said pipe being in open communication with the interior of the tube 13. The terminal ends of the pipes 16 and 23 are closed by identical filter caps 24 and 25, respectively, each cap having a disc 26 of suitable filtering material positioned across its open end and which is held in place by an apertured wall 27 having a marginal flange 28 fitted over the terminal end portion of the pipe, the flange being secured to the pipe by compression means, or the like.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 provides a shipping package which may be subjected to interior sterilization by placing the package in an atmosphere of ethylene oxide gas, said gas entering the package through the filter caps 24 and 25 to sterilize the interior surfaces of the tube 13, the pipes 16 and 23 and the urinometer 17, the filter caps also serving to maintain the contents of said package in sterile conditions until used. To place the package in use the caps 24 and 25 are removed from the pipes 16 and 23 respectively, the pipe 23 being connected to a conventional catheter while the pipe 16 is connected to a urine collector bag of conventional design, it being noted that the marginal flanges 28 on the filter caps also maintain the exterior end portions of the pipes in sterile conditions. When a suficient volume of urine is collected within the tube 13, as by clamping off the pipe 16, the said tube will bulge outwardly as indicated in FIG. 6 of the drawings thus releasing the urinometer to freely move within the tube and float in the collected urine to measure its specific gravity.

It will therefore be understood that I have provided a combined package and utility reservoir for containing a urinometer in sterile condition, siad urinometer being held within the package during shipment or storage by the inward tension placed on the urinometer by deformation of the flexible tube 13 and that during use said flexible wall will be bulged outwardly a sufficient distance to permit free movement of the urinometer within the wall to afford measurements of the specific gravity of the urine collected therein.

Now with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings the numeral 29 indicates a package comprising a flexible tube 30 preferably made of thin, transparent plastic material, said wall being closed at its opposed ends by walls 31 and 32; a capped pipe 33 being connected to the wall 31 in open communication with the interior of the tube 30. The wall 32 is preferrably made one-piece with a flexible pipe 34, said pipe having its free end one-piece with a urine collector bag 35. A short branch pipe 36 is connected to an intermediate portion of pipe 34 and has a filter cap 37 closing its terminal end. Thus the filter cap 37 provides an entrance means for gas sterilization of the interior and contents of the entire package while functioning in use as a siphon breaker and urine level control for the urinometer. In this modification the urinometer 17 is normally freely movable within the tube 30 but is held against relative movement within the tube for shipping purposes by a relatively stiff rod 38 disposed exteriorly of the tube and intermediate the ends of the tube and is adapted to deform and press the tube inwardly against the urinometer 17 by the restrictive means of a wire strap 39. The

wire strap encircles the tube 30 and is drawn tightly around the tube and the rod as illustrated in FIG. 8 of the drawing. When it is required to use the packaged urinometer it is only necessary to release the wire strap 39 and remove the rod 38 whereafter the natural flexibility of the wall 30 will permit the wall to normally expand outwardly away from the urinometer to permit free movement of the urinometer within the package.

In FIGS. 9 and 10 of the drawings there is illustrated a package 40 for a fragile glass article, such as an ampule 41 for a syringe, or the like. In this modification a flexible tube 42 is provided with a closed bottom wall 43 and its open end 44 is closed by a cap 45. The cap has a marginal flange 46 which encircles the open end 44 of the wall and is adapted to maintain the outer surface of the end wall portion in sterile condition. The ampule is held within the tubular wall 42 against movement by means of two opposed stiff rods 47 and 48 which exert inner pressure on the tube 42 by means of a wire strap 49 drawn tightly around an intermediate portion on the tube and the opposed rods 47 and 48. The interior wall of the finished package 40 may be subjected to gamma ray sterilization, or the like, after the package had been capped and before shipment thereof.

What is claimed is:

l. A sterile urinometer test package comprising a urinometer, a transparent sample tube composed of flexible, plastic material enclosing the urinometer and serving as the utility reservoir for the urinometer during tests, said tube having a length dimension substantially longer than said urinometer, a closure means on each end of the tube, flexible inlet and outlet pipes each connected to a closure means and each in open communication with the interior of the tube, a closure means on the terminal end of each pipe maintaining sterilization within the package, a filter means for at least one closure means on the terminal end of a pipe, compression means located between the ends of the tube bodily restricting an intermediate tube portion laterally inwardly against the urinometer to hold the urinometer in place during shipment and storage, and releasable means associated with the compression means permitting the urinometer to move freely within the tube for test purposes.

2. A sterile urinometer test package set forth in claim 1 wherein the compression means is the formation of a flattened tube portion, the sides of the tube being normally spaced apart a distance substantially less than the diameter of the urinometer, and the releasable means is an accumulation of collected urine within said tube in sufficient volume to expand the tube outwardly away from the urinometer.

3. A sterile urinometer test package set forth in claim 1 wherein the compression means is a stiff rod disposed outside the sample tube, and a strap tightly drawn around the sample tube and the rod.

4. A sterile urinometer test package comprising a urinometer, a transparent sample tube composed of flexible plastic material enclosing the urinometer and serving as the utility reservoir for the urinometer during tests, said tube having a length dimension substantially longer than said urinometer, a closure means on each end of the tube, flexible inlet and outlet pipes each connected to a closure means and each in open communication with the interior of the tube, a closure means on the terminal end of each pipe maintaining sterilization within the package, a filtered vent means formed intermediate the ends of the outlet pipe, compression means located between the ends of the tube bodily restricting an intermediate tube portion laterally inwardly against the urinometer to hold the urinometer in place during shipment and storage, and releasable means associated with the compression means permitting the urinometer to move freely within the tube for test purposes.

5. A sterile urinometer test package set forth in claim 4 wherein the outlet pipe has a generally S-shaped configuration.

mg UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFIC o Q EQTION Patent No. 3,774,454 Dated November 7, 1973 Inventor) Joseph Denman Shaw It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 3, line 33 cancel "flexible" Column 4, line 24 cancel "flexible" Signed and sealed this 23rd day of April l9'{L (SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD D IQFLETOEERJR, CG. MARSi-IALL DANN Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

1. A sterile urinometer test package comprising a urinometer, a transparent sample tube composed of flexible, plastic material enclosing the urinometer and serving as the utility reservoir for the urinometer during tests, said tube having a length dimension substantially longer than said urinometer, a closure means on each end of the tube, flexible inlet and outlet pipes each connected to a closure means and each in open communication with the interior of the tube, a closure means on the terminal end of each pipe maintaining sterilization within the package, a filter means for at least one closure means on the terminal end of a pipe, compression means located between the ends of the tube bodily restricting an intermediate tube portion laterally inwardly against the urinometer to hold the urinometer in place during shipment and storage, and releasable means associated with the compression means permitting the urinometer to move freely within the tube for test purposes.
 2. A sterile urinometer test package set forth in claim 1 wherein the compression means is the formation of a flattened tube portion, the sides of the tube being normally spaced apart a distance substantially less than the diameter of the urinometer, and the releasable means is an accumulation of collected urine within said tube in sufficient volume to expand the tube outwardly away from the urinometer.
 3. A sterile urinometer test package set forth in claim 1 wherein the compression means is a stiff rod disposed outside the sample tube, and a strap tightly drawn around the sample tube and the rod.
 4. A sterile urinometer test package comprising a urinometer, a transparent sample tube composed of flexible plastic material enclosing the urinometer and serving as the utility reservoir for the urinometer during tests, said tube having a length dimension substantially longer than said urinometer, a closure means on each end of the tube, flexible inlet and outlet pipes each connected to a closure means and each in open communication with the interior of the tube, a closure means on the terminal end of each pipe maintaining sterilization within the package, a filtered vent means formed intermediate the ends of the outlet pipe, compression means located between the ends of the tube bodily restricting an intermediate tube portion laterally inwardly against the urinometer to hold the urinometer in place during shipment and storage, and releasable means associated with the compression means permitting the urinometer to move freely within the tube for test purposes.
 5. A sterile urinometer test package set forth in claim 4 wherein the outlet pipe has a generally S-shaped configuration. 